ADMIT IT: You’re hooked on home and design reality television.
If you’re not, chances are someone you know is. The fusion of education and entertainment on such series as “DIY to the Rescue” and “Designed to Sell” continues to lure a loyal fan base.
HGTV alone is distributed to more than 92 million American households, and networks including DIY, The Discovery Channel and Fine Living are bringing in even more viewers.
Participants in these docudramas aren’t just strangers on TV. Some of them are your neighbors. Room caught up with three local families who appeared on or will be featured on upcoming home-improvement shows. Before responding to a “casting call,” consider these words of wisdom from folks who already experienced their 15 minutes of reality TV fame.
Jonathan and Melissa Kloster
HGTV’s “My First Place”
TV APPEARANCE: The show taped in April 2005 and aired in November 2005.
THE GOAL: Fixing up the family room.
Since they were married, Melissa and Jonathan Kloster had lived in rentals, dorm rooms and the home for troubled teens where they also worked. But having two children of their own meant this couple needed to plant some roots – in the form of a first home in Thornton.
As part of the show, the couple painted and added trim to help lighten up their dark, cluttered family room. Jonathan also completed some woodwork with help from the network carpenter.
THEIR ADVICE: If you respond to a casting call, be prepared to get chosen! Jonathan Kloster didn’t think he and his wife would be deemed “TV worthy,” among the millions he assumed were vying for the same series. But one month after Melissa put in a call to the show’s Colorado-based production company, the couple learned they would be appearing on “My First Place.” At that time, the show’s format enlisted the help of a designer to help first-time homebuyers decorate a room on a $3,000 budget.
“I didn’t think it would come to fruition,” Jonathan Kloster says. “I thought that something would happen, or maybe they wouldn’t air it. … It scared me a little bit to think this might be aired everywhere, not just in the Denver area.”
BEHIND THE SCENES: When it comes to television, reality is a relative thing. This crew shrunk 40 hours of footage down to only 23 minutes. The Klosters never practiced anything, nor did they have to learn lines. But having to repeat statements or reshoot a taped scene – perhaps because the refrigerator was too noisy – made them realize this was more production than reality.
“The producer actually created four different type(s) of shows,” Melissa Kloster says. “In one, I was very emotional. Another (edit) focused on my daughter, Olivia. He had all these different avenues and chose one of those to air.”
Matt and Kate Hemingway
HGTV’s “Carter Can”
TV APPEARANCE:
This show taped in May and is expected to run in October.
THE GOAL: To make a tiny Littleton condo more child-friendly.
Matt Hemingway, an Olympic track and field medalist, and his wife, Kate, once led a whirlwind, nomadic life. But adopting a 3-year-old daughter from Ethiopia named Asha slowed them down and made them long for the stability of home.
Designers from “Carter Can” on HGTV (Comcast channel 39) helped this family create storage solutions to accommodate a child in their cozy two-bedroom condo. They created built-in shelving, a nap and play area, and a special eating area just for a kid. A new paint palette included the greens, reds, yellows and blues of the Ethiopian flag to keep their daughter, Asha, connected to her heritage.
THEIR ADVICE: Your home is the perfect place to share personal accomplishments with guests. Matt Hemingway had always kept his medals hidden away in his sock drawer or safe deposit box because he didn’t want to “throw his success in people’s face.” But this show host, Carter Oosterhouse, convinced the athlete that his home was an expression of himself. His solution: a display case for his medals and awards.
“They told me it was also for my new daughter,” Hemingway recalls, “so she could understand who her daddy was and what he had done.”
BEHIND THE SCENES: Not all reality shows are as cutthroat as “Survivor.” Matt says he was taken aback by the sincerity and professionalism of the cast and crew.
“My wife and I had spent the last four years planning to adopt a child, so it was refreshing to work with a group of people who really cared about where we were in our lives,” he says. “The show was good for us to get away from work and really focus on something that had been a long time in coming.
“It was really happening. Asha was coming home.”
Scott and Kristen Thomas
DIY’s “Sweat Equity”
TV APPEARANCE: This show is taping for an undetermined air date.
THE GOAL: A remodeled kitchen.
Scott Thomas surprised his weekend-warrior wife by submitting his family’s name to the DIY Network(Comcast channel 277). Show host Amy Matthews later helped Kristen update her kitchen with concrete countertops, painted cabinets and a brick backsplash.
THEIR ADVICE: Can’t get motivated to finish a home improvement project? Sign up for a home-improvement show.
“Sometimes if you start a project, you are not sure you will really finish it,” Kristen Thomas says. But a television crew “won’t allow you to procrastinate.”
Kristen also encourages future show participants to include their children in the project. Dalan, 7, and Presleigh, 4, helped their mother paint and offered their opinions on various looks.
“Seven-year-old boys wouldn’t usually comment on things like this, but Dalan noticed all the effort that was going into the project,” she says. “It made him happy that I valued what he liked, and he really liked the countertops we picked.”
BEHIND THE SCENES: Home improvement show hosts aren’t just pretty faces. They are generally skilled in a building trade and in television production. Participants, on the other hand, must be prepared for the rigors of taping for television. Shoots often last for hours, so being rested and energetic is a must – especially if the project lasts longer than a few days. The Thomas’ kitchen remodel lasted six weeks.
“I was willing to do anything to make their show good,” Thomas says. “They got … a good show that people will want to watch, and I got my new kitchen. Everyone wins.”
